Red, White and Blue Cheesecake Cake

I’m celebrating 4th of July this year by sharing my SEVENTH cheesecake cake! This one is a simple RED/WHITE and BLUE version. I used a fabulous vanilla cake recipe that I tried recently and just added a little gel paste to the vanilla to make things extra festive. It’s easy to make (I promise), and you might just impress people at a 4th of July party if you show up with a cake like this: Red, White and Blue Cheesecake Cake

It’s a layer of cheesecake sandwiched between two layers of vanilla cake. For me, it’s the best of both worlds since I can never decide if I want cheesecake or cake!

The red cake layer is topped with a small amount of frosting to act as the “glue.”

The frosting is topped with a cheesecake layer (a frozen one that you can pick up with your hands and place on top… but you make it and freeze it yourself– it’s not from the frozen food section).

Again, the frosting is added to the top of the cheesecake to glue the next layer.

And the next layer, of course, is BLUE.

A little trick I used from somewhere: if you have a tender cake or a cake that is colored, it’s a good idea to apply a “crumb coat” of frosting first. This is a very thin layer. Then I pop it in the freezer for a little bit to firm things up.

When things are firmed up, you can add the remaining frosting and the crumbs won’t get mixed into the top layer since they’re firm and frozen on the cake. It looks neater and prettier this way.

Since I had red/white and blue sprinkles in my pantry, I figured this was a good way to use them up.

The cake needs to be kept in the refrigerator until ready to slice and serve. You want it to remain somewhat firm for easy slicing, and you don’t really want the cheesecake layer to get super, super soft either.

I made this about 2 weeks ago while I was still living in San Diego. The kids in the neighborhood knew what I was up to so I brought it out to the street to share as soon as it was done. I had 6 boys lined up to get their slice. They gobbled. They licked their plates clean (they’re boys). They thanked me and told me that they loved it. A couple hours later I received a text from my next door neighbor. It said, “Jack just got home and heard about the cake that his brothers got to eat while he was gone. He’s outside circling the culdesac on his scooter, hoping you’ll come out and give him a slice too.” The text made me smile, and I immediately brought a slice out to Jack… who was very happy indeed 🙂

Directions:

Prepare the cheesecake layer: Place a 9x13-inch pan on the bottom rack of the oven and fill it halfway with water. Place your other rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degree F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray, then line the bottom of the pan with parchment, then spray again. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to blend the cream cheese until it is smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in the sugar and salt and blend for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure all is mixed in. Add the eggs, one at a time, blending after each addition. Finally, mix in the sour cream, whipping cream and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Set the pan on the middle rack in the pre-heated oven. Bake the cheesecake for 45 minutes. It should be set to the touch and not jiggly. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for at least an hour. When it has cooled, place the pan into the freezer and let the cheesecake freeze completely (4 to 5 hours or overnight).

Prepare the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment; spray the parchment as well. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat together butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium speed until combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggs and beat well, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, beating until combined. Add the milk and vanilla and beat until just combined. Scoop half of the batter into another bowl and use gel paste (classic red and royal blue) to color the each half a deep hue. Scrape the batter into each of the prepared pans. Bake until firm to touch and a toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cakes cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Turn out cakes onto racks to cool completely.

To make the frosting: In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to medium. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Add salt, 3 tablespoons milk, and vanilla and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add an additional tablespoon of milk if you'd like the frosting to be more creamy.

To assemble the cake: Place the red cake layer on a cake plate and spread a small amount of frosting on top. Remove the (frozen) cheesecake from the pan and place the cheesecake layer on top of the red layer (be sure to measure it and make sure that it fits on top... you may need to place it on a cutting board and shave off some of the edge with a sharp knife to match the size of the cake layer). Spread a small amount of the frosting on top of the cheesecake layer. Add the blue layer on top. Scoop some frosting on top of the blue layer and cover the entire cake in a VERY THIN LAYER of frosting (you're just doing a "crumb coat.") Then place the cake in the freezer for a few minutes, just until the cake and frosting are a little bit firm. Then add the remaining frosting to the top of the cake, spread across the top evenly and down the sides. Sprinkle festive sprinkles on top, if desired. The cake should be refrigerated until ready to serve.

Tips:

*Concentrated gel paste color can be found at craft stores or baking supply stores (not the regular market). Wilton sells it. I don't recommend using the liquid coloring for this recipe. The gel paste is concentrated, and it you won't be adding liquid to the batter. You can also use Americolor: http://www.amazon.com/Americolor-Soft-Paste-Food-Color/dp/B001O8KQP6. Just keep adding color until you get a nice, strong hue.

*The frosting included in this recipe just barely covers the cake. It's enough, but if you want any sort of piping, you might consider using another frosting recipe like the one included in > this recipe.

*If you have 8-inch pans, you can make this cake in those. You can try making the cheesecake in a cake pan, but it's pretty tricky to get out of the pan.

111 Responses to “Red, White and Blue Cheesecake Cake”

Aww…red, white and blue in celebration of the 4th of July is perfect for the “cheesecake cake” concept, Lori! She turned out beautiful…even with color coordinated sprinkles. My favorite part of this post is the text you received from your neighbor! Boys. So gosh darned cute!

I just baked a test run of this cake and I’m glad I did because the gel paste I picked up at the store, Betty Crocker Decorating Gel (0.67 oz tube) in red and blue only turned my cake pink and green! Do you have a recommended brand and amount to use?

postedJun 29, 2013 12:07 AM

Maria

Oh silly me, I just saw the “Tips” section and found the one about the gel coloring. Maybe it would be helpful to others if you included the tip next to the ingredient on the ingredients list so they don’t end up like me? Obviously I should have read the recipe completely through in the first place though.

I think it should probably be okay… I only made mine with whole milk, so I can’t say for sure.

postedJul 1, 2013 4:24 PM

Nicole

Hi! Was looking forward to making this tomorrow. Went to the store and got everything but now looking over the recipe I see the tips section and I didn’t get the gel paste… Will it ruin the cake with food coloring?

Wow! Lori, this may be one of the most gorgeous cakes (and photos) I’ve ever seen. Amazing job!

postedJul 3, 2013 5:31 PM

Sharon

I am still confused. I posted a question about using the frosting for your Red Velvet Cheesecake cake. In that post the recipe has you using 2- 8oz cream cheese with ONLY 2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar. This recipe has you use 4 oz cream cheese with 5 cups of powdered sugar. Is this correct?? Please can someone help me ASAP?? I want to bring this to work in the AM tomorrow (July 4)
Thanks
Sharon

Hi Sharon- I emailed you directly today, but perhaps it went to your junk mail? In any case, here’s the scoop. The two frosting recipes are completely different. This one listed here has more powdered sugar and less cream cheese. The frosting recipe for the red velvet cake has more powdered sugar. If you use the one listed here for the red white and blue cake, you’ll have enough to cover the cake, but it won’t be a thick layer. The other frosting suggested makes a larger amount, allowing for a thicker layer.

postedJul 4, 2013 8:34 AM

Carolyn

Made this for my birthday – July 3rd. Is awesome. And the plain cake is very good all by itself too. Had to taste the crumbs as I went, don’t you know? lol
Anyhow, thanks so much for the recipe and the cheesecake cake ideas. Will be making more of these in the future.

postedJul 4, 2013 6:55 PM

Ammie

I made this for our 4th of July celebration and it was delicious! I have to ask though, what brand of gel coloring did you use and how much? I had Wilton gels on hand and my colors didn’t turn out nearly as vibrant as your cake’s. I used almost half a bottle of the red and it still looked like more of a strawberry red. Anyhow, thanks so much for sharing this delicious, festive recipe!

This was one of the hardest cakes and one of the best cakes I have ever made!!! I bake a lot and I thought what the heck ill try it, because we were going to a party and it was the hit of the party, thank you for sharing your receipe!!!!!!

postedJul 5, 2013 4:32 PM

Sonia

I made this for my husband’s birthday (july 1 but we celebrated july 3). It’s yummy – love the cheesecake layer! I used Wilton gel colors and my red is good but the blue is a bit light. If I had to change anything I’d put less sugar in the frosting – it’s really sweet! But then I’ve been low-carbing for a year now and avoiding all sugar so it’s just a shock to my system! This made the perfect amount of frosting to cover the cake – if I had put less sugar in it there wouldn’t have been enough!

postedJul 9, 2013 7:39 AM

Pammy

I don’t know what I did wrong…I put in 2 tubes of blue and 2 red. I have 1 green layer and 1 pink. Neither layer rose much and looks like brown pancakes. Cheesecake was wonderful. I didn’t put on the sprinkles since my cake was neither blue or red. Disappointed.

Sounds like you used decorator gel that you buy from the grocery store (the kind that you use to decorate the top of a cake?) You need concentrated gel paste… which you can buy at Michael’s or baking supply shops (it’s Wilton brand). You’ll only need a small amount of the concentrated paste to obtain deep hues of blue or red.

postedJul 4, 2014 1:12 PM

Amanda Grzyb

I did the water pan trick and my cheesecake still has cracks around the rim?

It happens sometimes. Cracks don’t matter much when the cheesecake is hidden between the two layers of cake. How did the finished cake turn out for you?

postedJul 26, 2014 5:22 PM

Michelle

Made this cake for our family 4th of July celebration. I barely got a taste so I made it again for MY family birthday celebration. I changed the cake colors to pink and purple and added a fresh strawberry purée to each layer. I can hardly wait to eat it tomorrow!! Dessert can’t come soon enough! Thanks for sharing such a delicious, versatile cake!!

You can certainly mess around with it and try some shortcuts, but I haven’t tried them so you’re taking a chance 🙂

postedJun 17, 2015 2:55 PM

Rita Techtman

My son sent me the link to this patriotic and delicious looking cheesecake cake; which of course means that Mom will be making this for the 4th of July! HAHA! Would AmeriColor Soft Gel Paste work to obtain the deep red and blue color shown in your cake? Do you recall the actual hue name of the paste that you used?

I’m sure it was just a classic red and a classic navy blue. I cannot recall the specifics- sorry!

postedJun 19, 2015 4:36 AM

Paula Spalding

I just saw this on pinterest and immediately decided it was going on my 4th of July party dessert table – right in the center! I do have a question….I tend to make most things in advance of parties, so can you please tell me if this can be frozen (without icing)? Cakes and cheesecakes can generally be frozen, but since the cheesecake will be pre-frozen, I was not sure if it could be re-frozen!

Well, I have never used a (purchased) frozen cheesecake, so I’m a little worried there may be a lot of condensation upon defrosting… but I’d probably suggest that you wrap the cake layers and freeze those separately… then frost the whole thing and refrigerate on the day of serving.

postedJun 27, 2015 11:24 AM

Pat f

I just saw this posted on my facebook and I was wondering if there is a way to make this a little more diabetic friendly?

I don’t think I’ve had any bleeding problems. A day in advance should be just fine!

postedJul 3, 2015 5:08 PM

Lesley

What a great recipe! I’m making it now for the 4th but am a little disappointed in the colors of my cakes. I bought the Wilton sparkling gel paste in red and blue from AC Moore. Reading some feedback it looks like others weren’t able to achieve your vibrant coloring! I would definitely recommend editing the post to include the specific paste you use and warn of steering away from that recommendation. Here’s to hoping it still tastes as good 🙂 thanks again for th recipe

Hmmm, I’m not sure about the sparkling… a good classic red and royal blue gel paste is what works best in the recipe. Anything that deviates from that might lend an “off” color. Hope you enjoyed it regardless!

Sorry it didn’t work out for you. It would be helpful if you gave us some more information as to what went wrong for you… since others have enjoyed it!

postedJul 4, 2015 7:35 PM

connie

Just finished making this, turned out wonderful, my family loves it!! I will make this again next year .

postedJul 4, 2015 10:57 PM

Bryn

The recipe was delicious! We are so happy we made it! We froze the cheesecake cake for 10 minutes after the crumb coat, it was a fabulous tip! We did not freeze the cheesecake for as long as told. We let the cheesecake cool and then put it into the freezer for about 1 hour. Doing that caused no problems. Unless you want a frozen cheesecake, we do not see a purpose in doing so. Does the freezing enhance the flavor? Or is there a purpose in freezing? We don’t known if it’s the oven, but we had to bake the cheesecake for about 1 hour, and it was still a little jiggly. It was all perfect in the long run though! Our colors definitely were not as vibrant as the picture. Did you use a whole ton of gel paste or photoshop? Lol I’m just confused.

I did not photoshop the cake! I don’t recall using a ton of gel paste- just a vibrant red and royal blue. Just kept adding in a little at a time until I was happy with the color. Glad you enjoyed the cake!

postedJul 6, 2015 8:43 AM

Tricia

My first from scratch cake! Turned out great and was so delicious. Everyone loved the festive colors.

postedJun 21, 2016 8:47 AM

Lindsey

I have 2 questions. It it fine just to use food coloring to dye the cakes? And, if i wanted to substitute the cheesecake layer for another layer of regular cake, how would I make the recipie, would I divided it by 3? it would be great if you could get back to me! Thanks! 🙂

Food coloring is liquid… so it may affect the outcome of the texture of the cakes. The gel paste is a more intense color- so you’ll be able to get the color you want without adding a ton of liquid food coloring. I suppose you could divide the cake batter into three portions, but the cakes will be much thinner than pictured. Good luck!

postedJul 2, 2016 10:06 AM

Traci Rice

I’m planning to make this today for a bbq for the 4th tomorrow with my family. I happen to have some fresh strawberries and blueberries on hand, I was wondering if you though I could add some fresh fruit to the red and blue layers without being in trouble. I know strawberries have a lot of water in them. I don’t want to risk it if you think it would change the consistency and ruin the cake. HELP!!

I’ve been looking for a festive red, white, and blue cake that would be a challenge but not so much that I’d discourage myself from making it. This looks like the one!
I’m going to make this for Memorial Day! Hoping it comes out well!